"Patronise a theatre of ideas. A sensual and energising communal environment" Geraldine Brophy

From Albert Belz's Te Karakia. 

Matariki Forum Welcome Addresses

Hone Kaa

Papa te whaititiri, hiko hiko te uira, kanapu ki te rangi, whetuki ki raro ra, ruu ana te whenua ee…

Haere mai tonu ra te manuhiri runga i te upoko hau, i te pa marangai, te puehutanga o te aroha.

E u whakarauiri ki Tamaki, kia ki ki te whare, te manuhiri uhia mai!

Uhia mai o kanohi ki te rau o te aroha.

E mihi ana ki te papa e takoto ra,

E mihi ana ki te whare e takoto nei,

E mihi ana ki te rangi,

E mihi ana ki te whenua.

He mihi hoki ki nga mate, kia ratou kua wheturangitia, ara, hoki ki te ao tuhi kia mahara ki a tatou hoa kua titaha i tenei wa.  

Tera ko Don Selwyn, tera ko Barry Barclay, tera ko taku tuakana ko Wi Kuki  tera ko Mahinarangi (Tocker), tera ko Hone Tuwhare ratou katoa te tini, te mano o ratou kua hinga i tena marae, i tena marae kua hui ai i tenei ra.

No reira, ka tae atu ki nga mate haere mai.  Haere, haere ki te po nui, te po roa, te po… (inaudible) Te moe.

Moe mai, moe mai i roto i te ariki.  Ko te taipo ki te taipo.  Ko te taiawatea.  Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.

Tena tatou e hui nei i tenei ra.  Ka pai te kite atu ano i a koe e Rowley!  Te roa te kite koi kupu, koi aha, engari, i tenei wa, kua kitea kanohi te kitekite atu i a tatou katoa e hui nei i tenei wa.

Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai!

Nau mai ki ta tatou hui ahakoa kaore e roa te noho ki waenga i a koutou, ko te wawata, ko te tumanako, kia pai nga whakaaro, kia pai nga kupu, nga korero e karoia e koutou ki o koutou ake aroaro.  Hei aha?  Me kii ra, hei tohu ki to tatou iwi, me te miharo hoki nga kupu kua korerohia e koutou e tuhi, e koutou kia rangona te tini me te mano.

No reira, haere mai, haere mai, haere mai.

Welcome upon the breath of the wind.

Welcome from the four corners of the earth.

Bring with you the memories of those who have passed on.  Lay them on the mat of welcome that is laid before you, that together we may share their memories and weep for their loss.  Bring with you the gifts that you all possess and share those gifts with each other and allow those gifts to have flower on this day.  To all of you, o sacred ones -   welcome, welcome, welcome!

I wish us to remember some people who have made significant contributions both on stage and on film as writers  -  forgive the pun - in their own right.

Of course, Don Selwyn - and I guess, the making of doyennes in our midst - and one remembers the making of the first play that was ever written in Maori and it was translated - The Merchant of Venice.  I was privileged to be priest in charge of the church of the Holy Sepulchre up in Khyber Pass, when the first performance was held in that church.  It caused quite a scandal that we were turning the church into a theatre - I love scandal!  So, I let ‘em scandal away and a week after that (I) watched Don Selwyn as he directed, Murder in the Cathedral.  I thought, “what an appropriate setting – inside a church,” and then later another producer produced Richard the Third inside that church.  So it’s been quite a theatre in terms of Maori writers and theatre.

Barry Barclay, remembered for his films and Ngati and Te Rua - although I have to say, Te Rua wasn’t quite up there with Ngati, but nevertheless, it is still a memorial to Barry.  The last time I saw Barry was at my brother, Wi Kuki’s funeral and I have never seen a wind quite like the wind that arrived just as Barry Barclay arrived.  When I told him that he was responsible for the wind, you know what?  He scared himself shitless and took off!  He wouldn’t stay on the marae!  Anyway that was Barry Barclay.

And of course he was followed by Mahinarangi Tocker - more a musician but a writer nevertheless. I was privileged about four years ago- I was on a philanthropic body that recognized her work as a mover and shaker with the stuff that she wrote, and awarded her with a grant.

 And then of course, the late great Hone Tuwhare. His poetry has been set to music and I wish somebody would set some of it in film because there are some very powerful images in the writings of Hone Tuwhare.

Those are the people we want to welcome today and also the guests in our midst.  Yirra Yaakin- are you here?  Welcome.   I understand there are people here from Native Earth Performing Arts - will you all stand please so we can acknowledge you?  And… well, there are some familiar faces here and I won’t name them, I’ve already abused them before I came up to the podium but to you all - a great welcome!

I was looking through my books the other day and I came up with this quote from Thomas Merten who’s an American Cistercian monk and writer.  “If you want to help other people you have got to make up your mind to write things that some people will condemn.”

I think that it’s a good thing to remember as writers - and you will do that.  I had to chuckle as Grace rang me to tell me that one of the people that I had to remember was my brother, Wi Kuki ‘cause right now I’m wearing the shoes that Wi Kuki wore in the film, Te Rua while they were in Germany, and so I try and tell myself that I fit neatly into my brother’s shoes but in actual fact they bloody so (much) bigger than my feet!  I have to get one of those innersoles to make my feet much more comfortable.

Engari ki a koutou katoa, nau mai, haere mai, tena koutou katoa.

There is piece from a haka in Ngati Porou that commemorates the season that we call- that everybody else calls Matariki but we call Ma-TA-riki.

E te kokoma ko kokoma

Ko te hau tapu

e rite ki te kai ngā Matariki

Tapa rereia koia tapa

Tapa kononua koia ra ka tukua i aue hei

It’s from an ancient karakia that is linked with the season Matariki because Matariki is the omen as to when the kahawai will arrive at the river mouth of the Waiapu.  It also signals the arrival of the moki off the coast of Whangaparaoa, and the link - with when the moki arrive - they say, “Matariki ki te rangi, matawhero ki te moana”.

They say, when the certain star strikes the water as the moki arrive, the sea turns a red colour and so the rock at the river mouth - when Matariki rises - this rock pops up out of the water and Matariki strikes it (and) they know the kahawai are going to come. They also know it’s the time when you lay the seed bed for the kumara, and again we have a name that is peculiar to Rangitukia- not because we’re peculiar people it’s just because we happen to do this. We commemorate these things and the arrival of the Matariki and the laying of the seed bed. 

 
And the seed bed itself becomes not “parekereke” but the “whaka-ika” because they say, ‘ka whakaika te moana’ - the sea is about to teem with fish, now is the time to lay the seed of the kumara.  I’ll just share those thoughts with you but don’t pinch them- they still mine!

 

Response from Mark Amery

Kia ora. My name is Mark Amery, Director of Playmarket.  I’ve always called myself “tauiwi,” –foreign bones, originally from England but I’ve spent most of most of my life- majority of- up here in Auckland.  In fact Hone, I was in that production of Richard the Third, I think I was carrying the skirt of the queen with Vela Manusaute if any of you know him.  Audience laughter

I think coming from England originally- but settling here- I’ve always had a sense of, a different perspective of being an ‘other’ and I think maybe that explains my passions and acknowledgement of tangata whenua and a passion about Maori Theatre.  

This is a very proud moment for us at Playmarket.

I’d like to acknowledge the tangata whenua, Ngati Whatua here.  As Grace says, we have a discussion here this afternoon which is called, “Where is Maori Theatre?” and for me, that subject has two different bits to it.  

One of it is a provocation which says that we feel there is a time.  A time for new beginnings to hear new stories and there’s not enough of that occurring.  This is an opportunity to come together to have a house together today for playwrights, producers and all of us to see how we can start to build that work here in Auckland.  There is a thriving scene which brings me to the second part of where I say,”Where is Maori Theatre?”  I think it is here.

 
I thank you all for coming and it’s wonderful to have so many people here.  There is a great many of you and I’d like to acknowledge you so that you all know each other.   I’d particularly like to acknowledge our partners, Auckland City Council and “Kia ora” to Gail Richards who’s here today. This has been a very special partnership.  We started with a thing called Pasifika Playwrights which was Maori and Pacific Playwrights all together which we started four or five years ago.  I’d like to thank the ASB Community Trust who has allowed us this year to set up a Maori and Pacific Island development programme of which Jenni Heka - who many of you will know - is leading here in Auckland.  The Edge, of course, and to Creative NZ who are our principal sponsors.  Nau mai, haere mai, Tanea Heke, Rawiri Waititi and Claire Richardson for being here today.

I’d also like to acknowledge Stephen Bradshaw and Dianna Fuemana who we worked with at Auckland City Council.  Stephen’s now at Manukau City Council and here as part of Toi Whenua.  Kia ora to you Stephen.

Kia ora to our international guests.  It’s wonderful that you’re going to share some of your thoughts here today.  At the heart of what we do at Playmarket is promote, look after and develop playwrights and I’d like to acknowledge those who are here.  There are many of you many of you who are new shoots but many of you who are established writers as well.  I’d particularly like to acknowledge and welcome Rori Hapipi for coming all the way from Taupo, Rawiri Paratene - who you’ll see plenty of today- and the many, many others who are here today.

There are also many producers here today who have been doing so much great work building things. I’d like to acknowledge Taki Rua who had a Maori Theatre forum a year and a half ago. James and Renee, thank you for coming.  From Miria George and Hone Kouka of Tawata Productions.  To Amanda Hereaka from Open Book Productions.  Natasha Keating from Koanga Maori Theatre Company and Jason Te Kare from Radio New Zealand.  We have representatives from Bats, Auckland Theatre Company and other theatre companies - thank you for coming and to Tainui Tukiwaho - who you will hear from later - from Smack Bang.

I’m going to surprise everyone - well, all my friends - by giving you a waiata.

Tena koutou

E hoa ma,

Kua tae nei

I tenei ra.

No reira ra

E hoa ma,

Tena koutou koutou katoa!

Kua rongo hoki ahau,

Kua rongo hoki ahau,

Kei te haere mai koutou.

No reira ra

E hoa ma,

Tena koutou koutou katoa!

Transcript completed by Waimihi Hotere with support from Playmarket and Arts Waikato.